title: What happens to patients after five years of intensive case management stops?
abstract: Seventy-two patients who received five years of intensive case management services were transferred into mainstream community mental health center services with a much higher patient-to-staff ratio. At the end of a two-year follow-up, 91 percent of the patients were still receiving treatment. Compared with the previous five years, hospitalizations during the follow-up period increased, but not significantly so. Contacts with mainstream CMHC services increased significantly. Overall costs in constant 1979 dollars showed a nonsignificant decrease, dropping by about $1,500 per patient per year. The staff time and resources gained by the programmatic changes were used to treat a larger number of chronic patients seeking services.
authors.affiliation: Spokane Community Mental Health Center, WA 99202.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McRae
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Higgins
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lycan
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Sherman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003155:Community Mental Health Centers / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000191:economics / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000191:economics; D012944:Social Support; D014861:Washington